OZ does some commodity trading

Oz sold his Paw Patrol firetruck set (in the first image) for 170 shekels. He had earned some additional shekels from collecting bottles and various other jobs. ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................' So he is looking to buy a new lego set, a Lego Ninjago, for about 230 shekels (2nd image). ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... both the firetruck and the Ninjago are used. The internet and various aps have certainly made some markets more efficient.

I've haven't had meat now for 5 (see below update) days. I started without meat on the day before Shavuot, then no meat on those two days, then no meat the next two days. This was because I got a large take out of Fettucini on the Thursday before Shavuot and then cooked quite a bit of breaded perch and roasted salmon that day. I has taken that long to eat it even though George came over on the Sunday after Shavuot. I don't feel more or less energetic, haven't gained or lost much weight, no noticible gastro effects. ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Only a little bit of fish left. Didn't have meat Tues after Shavuot either as there was more left over to finish and I got some Mac and Cheese for Ann from Siena. So now 6 days. Even the 9 days before and during Tisha b Av usually don't have this long a meatless spell since on Sabbath meat is allowed during the 9 days (and you can also taste it while you are cooking it the day before Sabbath).

NIH study has annoying result in a dream

I had a dream that I had enrolled Ann in a (presumably NIH) study. It involved keeping track of how many carrots she ate and her response metrics (which I suppose were blood pressure, oxigenation of the blood, pulse). I was trying to enter the data on a tablet (presumably given me by NIH). The tablet kept crashing and had to be rebooted. .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... I woke up annoyed.

Oz gets to sit in tank

On Jerusalem day, Tamar, Meira and Oz went to Latrun (about 16 miles southwest of Ben Gurion Airport) to the Military Museum. It has mostly tanks including for example, the T-34 that the Soviet Union used in WW II (NKorea still has some in operation according to some reports), the Leopard (made in Germany) and Merkava (Israeli designed tank, updated models of which are currently in use). ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Image show Oz on a tank (not sure what model).

JiffyLube AI receptionist is flawed

I had a coupon for $15 off on an oil change at JiffyLube. It was about 7 months since I bought the car so I thought it was time. I called the JiffyLube near me first to see if they were open. It was an AI agent who answered the phone. I asked 'are you open'. Instead of 'yes', the answer was,"We are open 7am to 8pm M-S and 9am to 5pm on Sunday". Then I asked "is your coffee machine working (I won't go to a oil change if I don't get coffee. The AI didn't understand and asked me to repeat. I did, then it said, "I don't have that information.". Someone heard the conversation and started laughing. BTW, they checked my battery and said it was installed in 2024 and it is a 50 month battery, so I don't have to have it replaced until 2028 or so (Ideally, I'll wait until I have a coupon for the battery). .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Have to figure a way to remind myself about the battery.

More mail regarding the non existing car

We received mail alerting us to the expiration of vehicle insurance on a 2018 Ford Fiesta that we've never owned. This is perhaps the 10th piece of mail on this subject. Today, I decided to call the company and report that no such vehicle existed. The man on the line asked me for the ID number on the correspondance and said he would remove it from their data base. We'll see. .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. Above are images of two similar letters on this subject. One is to a person who lives here about a car that was never owned by her. One is to a person who never lived here about a car that actually is owned by me (she owned the car before me and sold it to CarMax and I bought it from CarMax).

Annoying Dream -

In my dream, I was staying at a hotel. It seemed to be some sort of Jewish related event. One of my friends asked me to lead the sabbath morning services (early on Saturday I think). I said that I would lead Pesukei dezimra but didn't want to do Shacharit or Musuf as I didn't think I had a good enough voice. I didn't ask about reading the Torah. Anyway, I went to the room that was going to be used for the service and it didn't have any prayer books in the bookcase. I was annoyed. ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Then I woke up.

M day flowers

The second image is a basket delivered two days ago. It was from Tamar, Oz and Meira........ ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ......... The first is from me and Ramesh. The tall rose in the vase is from Ramesh (propriator of Siena) and the other flowers are irises and some flowers of the Japanese Painted Fern. ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... I also prepared a key lime pie with whipped topping for her but she wasn't feeling well on Sunday so I gave it to her on Monday.

Issue for the next few years - microphone on Sabbath

Before 1954 or so there were microphones used on sabbath in a number of Orthodox Synagogues. Rabbi Soloveitchic issued a decision about that time that ruled that they were not permitted on sabbath. Rabbi Feinstein issued a decision in 1969 that covered microphones and hearing aids which permitted the latter but not the former (I don't understand either ruling very well). Since that time there have been efforts to develop a microphone that would be permitted on the sabbath. In 1995, the Zomet microphone was developed. It has automatic preset timing and uses electronic elements that do not glow and do not get hot thus addressing major issues mentioned in the earlier rulings. Since its intial development there have been a number of other improvements to this device. There are a few orthodox congregations that have one of these but not many and in each case of installation there has been controversy. Now, Beth Sholom of Potomac, where I typically go, is considering this issue. It will take a few years for installation of this device to be discussed before this step is taken (if it does). A discussion of this issue is at> https://rabbimanning.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Microphones-and-Shabbat.pdf

Don't Accept Baseball Record Searches by AI

I asked Duck GPT what the most home runs by both teams in a MLB 4 game series: DUCK says: The record for the most home runs hit by both teams in a four-game series is 56, achieved by the Chicago Cubs and the Philadelphia Phillies in May 2021. Then I said: I looked up the Cubs schedule for 2021 and the Cubs didn't even play the Phillies in May 2021. How could there be home runs if games weren't played Then DUCK said: You're right — that claim was incorrect. The Cubs and Phillies didn't play a four-game series in May 2021, so they couldn't have set a record then. I made an error. Would you like me to look up the actual record for most combined HRs in a four-game series and cite the source? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------.. The problem is, I think, that one of the sources that DUCK uses is Statmuse which is organized is an odd way which results in major misunderstandings.

Tall Champagne Irises

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In addition to the bluish and peach colored Irises, we have a lot of Champagne irises. We got the bulbs many years ago, I think in the late 1990s. My sister in law, Cheryl Kaplowitz, dug and bagged them for me when she and Irwin lived in the Bancroft Park Neighborhood (which seems to be a part of the Cross Country Greater neighborhood) in Baltimore. These Irises grow very tall. Some are more than 3 feet high and some get so high they topple over. I haven't figured out what to do about this so basically I just let the toppling go. The first image shows one of these irises dominating a rose bush - somehow the rose bushes on the west side of my property don't grow like the ones in the front yard. In the second image, there is a bleeding heart plant behind the irises.

Got Chat GPT to illustrate the Coke Zero Zero Idea

.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... This is based on the post a few days ago. Duck GPT refused to use the "Coke Bear" symbol and Grok AI was unavailable for some reason I can't figure out.

Irises - Looking East and Looking West

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This an image of one of our Iris beds. It is looking east. There are rose buds a few days away from blooming to the left (click to expand the image) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ '

============================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================= This is the same Iris bed but looking west.

Relating to George and his beverage of choice

George's doctor recommended he switch from regular Diet Coke to Decaffinated Coke (as far as I know all decaffinated coke is also sugar free). Interestingly, based on promos on the Coca Cola Company website, there is rumor that Coke will make a marketing push soon on this. The first image is a bottle of current labeled caffeine free coke with the Coke Bear 'admiring' it. Notice it doesn't say 'sugar free' prominently although it does have 'Diet' on the label but of course products with substantial sugar are sometimes called 'diet' if they have less than the original. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The rumor is that the company will market this same (or possiblly marginally changed) product as Coke Zero Zero. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- related post at: https://stuffedanimalsoapopera.blogspot.com/2026/04/new-marketing-strategy-for-coke.html